Research Article
Gandhi S, Mehta M and Dahiya R
Abstract
Vegetable A. esculentus (Bhindi) picking is labour-intensive work that requires painstaking physical effort, patience and perseverance. Women usually use their hands resulting in physical and mental fatigue, hardship, exploitation and pain. The present study was carried out to study the occupational health hazard in vegetable A. esculentus (Bhindi) picking and mitigating measures. The experimental study was carried out on 10 farm women labourers in Majra village of Fatehabad district in A. esculentus (Bhindi) farms, studying use of four types of gloves as existing protective measures used by the respondents and then introduced 3 appropriate technologies viz. protective gloves, capron and vegetable picking bags as mitigating measures. Women workers faced severe health hazards in picking A. esculentus (Bhindi) (lady finger) in terms of cuts and wounds in hands, hardness of skin, itching, blisters and abrasions.Various mitigating measures used by the respondents during A. esculentus (Bhindi) picking were homemade mittens of cloth materials (40%), surgical gloves (30%), cotton (20%) and woolen gloves (10%). Performance evaluation of existing mitigation measures was studied in terms of durability, safety and comfort in terms of sweating, it was highlighted that mittens made of denim cloth were preferred most (Rank I) followed by cotton gloves (Rank II), woolen gloves (Rank III) and surgical gloves (Rank IV). Use of improved technology in A. esculentus (Bhindi) picking not only reduced the health hazards, but also increased the output by 40 percent, thereby, increasing the efficiency of the worker.